We here at Theme Park University were the first to break the news that Cirque du Soleil was creating a theme park set to open in 2018 back in 2014.

As we got closer to 2018 (and it passed) we kept looking for updates. Unfortunately, no word came from either Cirque du Soleil or Vidanta regarding the project being stalled, reconfigured or dropped entirely.

Who’s Vidanta, you ask? They’re the timeshare company with several luxury properties scattered around Mexico who bought the rights to build (and finance) a Cirque du Soleil Theme park in Mexico.

Originally the parks and entertainment offerings looked like something that could change the theme park industry. However, it seems as if those plans changed.

According to the Vidanta website, the new title of the park is referred to as “The Parks at Nuevo Vallarta.” There was zero mention of Cirque du Soleil anywhere on their own website.

I took it upon myself to reach out to Cirque du Soleil and Vidanta to confirm that a Cirque theme park was still happening. I indeed received a response from both parties who both independently gave Theme Park University confirmation that it was indeed moving forward, but being redesigned.

Then in April 2019, I wrote a piece calling the Cirque du Soleil Theme Park in Mexico the Fyre Festival of theme parks. There seemed to be a lot of red flags between radio silence in communication, the ominous non-mention on Vidanta’s website and reports from several people who were given a timeshare pitch.

Not only do we stand by that article, we are now doubling down. We now *absolutely* think this is the Fyre Festival of theme parks.

I’ve been in contact with Vidanta since that article went viral. At the beginning of April I was assured that a press release regarding the Cirque du Soleil Theme Park would be coming “soon.” A month later, I was promised the same thing as they were “swiftly” finalizing a press release.

Today I finally received an official statement that is from both Vidanta and Cirque du Soleil. It reads as follows:

The Parks at Vidanta Nuevo Vallarta has expanded greatly in scope, shifting from a single theme park to a multi-tiered destination of immersive entertainment and vacation experiences across several park concepts, spanning hundreds of acres and countless one-of-a-kind experiences. As a continuation of our longstanding partnership with Cirque du Soleil, we are thrilled that a section of one of these concepts will be dedicated to their creative genius. The enhanced vision for The Parks is already underway with construction on many of its innovations currently in progress, as can be seen at the site in Nuevo Vallarta.

As the project continues to advance, more details about this groundbreaking entertainment destination—including specifics about the expanded master plan—will be shared. To learn more about the ongoing projects and initiatives, please visitgrupovidanta.com.

There may be a lot to unpack there, but let’s break it down.

1. There is no theme park anymore. Instead there are now several attractions that are a part of this project.

2. “A multi-tiered destination of immersive entertainment” meaning these new experiences are now all separate. Meaning they’ll cost different amounts and will most likely be completely different offerings than what was once a theme park.

3. A “section” of ONE of these experiences will be Cirque du Soleil branded. Let that sink in. One section of part of this new concept will be branded to Cirque du Soleil.

Now do I think that these changes just happened after I wrote my last article? Not a chance. You don’t make that dramatic of a shift in two months for a project that’s been in development for over five years.

Do you know who I truly feel sorry for? Anyone who bought a timeshare from Vidanta with the promise of having a Cirque du Soleil Theme Park at their back door as their sales pitch. If I had plunked down thousands of dollars, I’d be mad as hell right now.

A “section” of an undisclosed immersive entertainment experience is not what these people put their hard earned money down for.

Sadly, this is all the information we have on the project at this time.